Safety Belt Extension Assembly
WARNING:Do not use extensions to change the fit of the
shoulder belt across the torso.
WARNING:Do not use extensions with an inflatable safety belt.
Safety belt extensions are vehicle-specific. See an authorized dealer to
make sure you obtain the proper safety belt extension for your vehicle.
Use only extensions manufactured by the same supplier as the safety
belt. A safety belt extension is not available for the inflatable safety belt.
Also, use the safety belt extension only if the safety belt is too short for
you when fully extended.
SAFETY BELT HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT
WARNING:Position the safety belt height adjusters so that the
belt rests across the middle of your shoulder. Failure to adjust
the safety belt properly could reduce the effectiveness of the safety belt
and increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Adjust the height of the shoulder belt so the belt rests across the middle
of your shoulder.
To adjust the shoulder belt height:
1. Squeeze the button and slide the
height adjuster up or down.
2. Release the button and pull down
on the height adjuster to make sure
it is locked in place.
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SAFETY BELT WARNING LIGHT AND INDICATOR CHIME
This lamp illuminates and an audible warning will sound if the
driver’s safety belt has not been fastened when the vehicle’s
ignition is turned on.
Conditions of Operation
If... Then...
The driver safety belt is not
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the on
position...The safety belt warning light
illuminates 1-2 minutes and the
warning chime sounds 4-8 seconds.
The driver safety belt is
buckled while the indicator
light is illuminated and the
warning chime is sounding...The safety belt warning light and
warning chime turn off.
The driver safety belt is
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the on
position...The safety belt warning light and
indicator chime remain off.
SAFETY BELT-MINDER™
This feature supplements the safety belt warning function by providing
additional reminders that intermittently sound a tone and illuminate the
safety belt warning light when you are in the driver seat or you have a
front seat passenger and a safety belt is unbuckled.
The system uses information from the front passenger sensing system to
determine if a front seat passenger is present and therefore potentially in
need of a warning. To avoid activating the Belt-Minder feature for objects
placed in the front passenger seat, warnings will only be given to front
seat occupants as determined by the front passenger sensing system.
If the Belt-Minder warnings have expired (warnings for about five
minutes) for one occupant (driver or front passenger), the other
occupant can still activate the Belt-Minder feature.
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If... Then...
You and the front seat
passenger buckle your safety
belts before you switch the
ignition on or less than
1-2 minutes elapse after you
switch the ignition on...The Belt-Minder feature will not
activate.
You or the front seat passenger
do not buckle your safety belts
before your vehicle reaches at
least 6 mph (9.7 km/h) and
1-2 minutes elapse after you
switch the ignition...The Belt-Minder feature activates, the
safety belt warning light illuminates
and a warning tone sounds for
6 seconds every 25 seconds, repeating
for about 5 minutes or until you and
the front seat passenger buckle your
safety belts.
The driver or front passenger
safety belt becomes unbuckled
for about one minute while the
vehicle is traveling at least
6 mph (9.7 km/h) and more
than 1-2 minutes elapse after
you switch the ignition on...The Belt-Minder feature activates, the
safety belt warning light illuminates
and a warning tone sounds for
6 seconds every 25 seconds, repeating
for about 5 minutes or until you and
the front seat passenger buckle your
safety belts.
Deactivating and Activating the Belt-Minder Feature
WARNING:While the design allows you to deactivate your
Belt-Minder, this system is designed to improve your chances of
being safely belted and surviving an accident. We recommend you leave
the Belt-Minder system activated for yourself and others who may use
the vehicle. To reduce the risk of injury, do not deactivate or activate
the Belt-Minder feature while driving the vehicle.
Note:The driver and front passenger warnings switch on and off
independently. When you perform this procedure for one seating
position, do not buckle the other position as this will terminate the
process.
Note:If you are using MyKey, you cannot disable the Belt-Minder. Also,
if you have previously disabled the Belt-Minder, it will be re-enabled
during the use of MyKey. See theMyKeychapter.
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Read Steps1-5thoroughly before proceeding with the programming
procedure.
Before following the procedure, make sure that:
•The parking brake is set.
•The transmission is in park (P).
•The ignition is off.
•The driver and front passenger safety belts are unbuckled.
1. Switch the ignition on. Do not start the engine.
2. Wait until the safety belt warning light turns off (about one minute).
3. Wait 10 seconds after the safety belt warning light turns off.
•Once you complete Step 3, you must complete Step 4 within
20 seconds.
4. For the seating position you are switching off, buckle then unbuckle
the safety belt three times at a moderate speed, ending in the unbuckled
state.
•After Step 4, the safety belt warning light turns on for three seconds.
5. Within about seven seconds of the light turning off, buckle then
unbuckle the safety belt.
•This will switch the feature off for that seating position if it is
currently on.
•This will switch the feature on for that seating position if it is
currently off.
REAR INFLATABLE SAFETY BELT (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING:Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the rear
inflatable safety belt as you could be seriously injured or killed.
Note:The rear inflatable safety belts are compatible with most infant
and child safety car seats and belt positioning booster seats when
properly installed. This is because they are designed to fill with a cool
gas at a lower pressure and at a slower rate than traditional airbags.
After inflation, the shoulder portion of the safety belt remains cool to the
touch.
The rear inflatable safety belts are located in the shoulder portion of the
safety belts of the second-row outboard seating positions.
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The rear inflatable safety belt consists of the following:
•An inflatable bag located in the shoulder safety belt webbing.
•Lap safety belt webbing with automatic locking mode.
•Crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness
indicator.
SeeCrash Sensors and Airbag Indicatorin theSupplemental
Restraint Systemchapter.
How Does the Rear Inflatable Safety Belt System Work?
WARNING:If the rear inflatable safety belt has deployed, it will
not function again. The rear inflatable safety belt system must be
replaced by an authorized dealer.
•The rear inflatable safety belts will function like standard restraints in
everyday usage.
•During a crash of sufficient force, the inflatable
belt will inflate from inside the webbing.
•The fully inflated belt’s increased diameter more
effectively holds the occupant in the appropriate
seating position, and spreads crash forces over more
area of the body than regular safety belts. This
helps reduce pressure on the chest and helps
control head and neck motion for passengers.
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Stowing the Rear Inflatable Safety Belt
The rear inflatable safety belt has a snap retainer for stowing the safety
belt against the quarter trim panel when it is not in use. This will
prevent the safety belt tongue from rattling against the side of the seat
and keep it out of the way when folding or tumbling the second row
seats.
Press the retainer on the safety belt
onto the mating snap to stow. To
use the safety belt, pull it away
from the quarter trim panel.
CHILD RESTRAINT AND SAFETY BELT MAINTENANCE
Inspect the vehicle safety belts and child safety seat systems periodically
to make sure they work properly and are not damaged. Inspect the
vehicle and child seat safety belts to make sure there are no nicks, tears
or cuts. Replace if necessary. All vehicle safety belt assemblies, including
retractors, buckles, front safety belt buckle assemblies, buckle support
assemblies (slide bar-if equipped), shoulder belt height adjusters (if
equipped), shoulder belt guide on seatback (if equipped), rear inflatable
safety belts (if equipped), child safety seat LATCH and tether anchors,
and attaching hardware, should be inspected after a crash. See the child
restraint manufacturer’s instructions for additional inspection and
maintenance information specific to the child restraint.
Ford Motor Company recommends that all safety belt assemblies in use
in vehicles involved in a crash be replaced. However, if the crash was
minor and an authorized dealer finds that the belts do not show damage
and continue to operate properly, they do not need to be replaced.
Safety belt assemblies not in use during a crash should also be inspected
and replaced if either damage or improper operation is noted.
For proper care of soiled safety belts, seeInteriorin theCleaning
chapter.
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PERSONAL SAFETY SYSTEM™
The Personal Safety System provides an improved overall level of frontal
crash protection to front seat occupants and is designed to help further
reduce the risk of airbag-related injuries. The system is able to analyze
different occupant conditions and crash severity before activating the
appropriate safety devices to help better protect a range of occupants in
a variety of frontal crash situations.
Your vehicle’s Personal Safety System consists of:
•Driver and passenger dual-stage airbag supplemental restraints.
•Front outboard safety belts with pretensioners, energy management
retractors (first row only), and safety belt usage sensors.
•Driver seat position sensor.
•Front passenger sensing system.
•Passenger airbag off and on indicator lamp.
•Front crash severity sensors.
•Restraints control module with impact and safing sensors.
•Restraint system warning light and backup tone.
•The electrical wiring for the airbags, crash sensor(s), safety belt
pretensioners, front safety belt usage sensors, driver seat position
sensor, front passenger sensing system, and indicator lights.
How Does the Personal Safety System Work?
The Personal Safety System can adapt the deployment strategy of your
vehicle’s safety devices according to crash severity and occupant
conditions. A collection of crash and occupant sensors provides
information to the restraints control module. During a crash, the
restraints control module may activate the safety belt pretensioners
and/or either one or both stages of the dual-stage airbag supplemental
restraints based on crash severity and occupant conditions.
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PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION
WARNING:Airbags do not inflate slowly or gently, and the risk
of injury from a deploying airbag is the greatest close to the trim
covering the airbag module.
WARNING:All occupants of your vehicle, including the driver,
should always properly wear their safety belts, even when an airbag
supplemental restraint system is provided. Failure to properly wear your
safety belt could seriously increase the risk of injury or death.
WARNING:Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back
seat and always properly use appropriate child restraints.
WARNING:Never place your arm over the airbag module, as a
deploying airbag can result in serious arm fractures or other
injuries.
WARNING:Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
Never place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active airbag. If
you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move the
seat upon which the child seat is installed all the way back.
WARNING:Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the
airbag supplemental restraint systems or its fuses as you could be
seriously injured or killed. Contact your authorized dealer as soon as
possible.
WARNING:Several airbag system components get hot after
inflation. Do not touch them after inflation as this may result in
serious injury.
WARNING:If the airbag has deployed, the airbag will not function
again and must be replaced immediately. If the airbag is not
replaced, the unrepaired area will increase the risk of injury in a crash.
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